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-   -   A superb Car cleaning, polishing & detailing guide (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/102011-superb-car-cleaning-polishing-detailing-guide-775.html)

Hi folks
Had a question on wiper screeching noise. I got the car ceramic coated/part ppf . Now I notice that the wiper operation after 2 or 3 wipes (in mild rain when the water is less) is noisy and there is mild judder. I don't recollect this happening prior to the coating... The car is just 4mon old and the wipers are quite premium frameless ones in that sense.(so as to rule out any wiper issue)
So wanted to check if the coating could contribute to this and is there any way I can get rid of the sound. It's not like the water beading is too great after the coating that it will refrain me from using the wipers altogether during a downpour. So I might as well strip it off, if needed.

TIA

Which coating is this which has been applied ? Have you done it yourself or through a detailer? Please give these details to assist you further

The detailer most likely did not apply the glass coating to the wiper blades, it must be done otherwise you’ll get wiper squeal and judder.

You should not be needing wipers at all after a good quality glass coating, the water should fly off very fast. Only exception being very light drizzle where the water volume isn’t sufficient for it to roll off the glass, here you might an occasional swipe.

To remove a coating, use a felt pad meant for glass polishing and use a cerium based glass polish polish like Carpro Ceriglass.

How a glass coating should bead for reference: https://youtu.be/TlycvCmLmVI

Opti-coat, 3yrs warranty one - Detailing Mafia

Oh! Do you mean the actual part of the blade that touches the glass also needs to be coated?? Never thought about this.

Yea - I was referring to a light drizzle - I think I will get this beading effect if I pour a bottle of water on the glass - but I don't think that will really suffice in terms of not using the wipers at all.
I will try posting a video tomorrow of the same.

Yes the actual rubber blade that wipes the windshield. You should always get very strong water beading irrespective of how heavy or light the rain is, in a drizzle the beads won’t roll off on their own as fast that’s all.

Hi all,

Spent the last 3 days going through this gargantuan thread. From whatever I could absorb, below is the plan for cleaning my car. I am a complete novice to car cleaning (other than rubbing with orange cloth so far, which I realize is blasphmey).

I recently bought a pre-owned MG Hector starry black. 3.5yr old car, but is riddled with swirl marks and looks dull thanks to previous car wash guy.

Seeking your inputs on the below cleaning plan. For a beginner, only exterior cleaning, no tyres involved: (Note that I have a covered car parking)

First time cleaning:

1. Dust the car lightly with a Jopasu duster
2. Spray water using garden spray bottle
3. Spray Turtle Wax Hybrid Waterless Wash & Wax (I am assuming I can spray this on top of the water sprayed in the above step?)
4. Wipe down with a clean 3M microfiber cloth
5. Once dry, use WaveX Clay Bar and Lubricant Spray to clay the surfaces
6. Post claying, use Turtle Wax ICE Seal N Shine for waxing
7. For the plastic parts on the front grille which are in dull black, use Proklear APCC All Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser Concentrate in 1:30 dilution and a soft toothbrush (no scientific logic on 1:30, just felt like it'd be sufficient for external parts). Does this work for water stains too?

Post the first time clean:
1. Jopasu duster for loose dust whenever I take the car out
2. Once in 2-3 weeks waterless wash
3. Professional car wash once every 1-2 months

Questions:
1. Are there any mistakes in the above steps that I need to avoid?
2. I do not plan to clean windshield as I am afraid I may damage something and it is a critical component. Any suggestions if I can use any of the above products for windshield cleaning?
3. Same question for other glass and clear plastic parts like headlights and tail lamps
4. Does the sunroof need any different care? Or do I treat it like regular exterior body?
5. Any other suggestions?

Thanks all!

My $0.02

If you plan to clay, you need to get to the paint without ANY protection. So DO NOT use "Turtle Wax Hybrid Waterless Wash & Wax" in Step 3. Also, if I were you, I would wash the car properly before claying, not just jopasu and dry wash.
The windshield glass is much much tougher than the clearcoat on the paint. You need not worry about any damage.

Got it, thank you so much! I'll do a proper wash using 3M Car wash Shampoo and then do the claying.

Need some suggestions/views on DIY polishing liquids and pads - to remove light swirls and marks on an almost year old car. Plan is to polish and then put down a coat of Turtle Wax Seal & Shine and then Paste wax. I have been using Sonax BSD as a drying aid after my routine full washes and plan to continue doing it. Planning to do this once in 6 months or a year depending on the condition.

For polishing am looking to use a DA Polisher with Meguiars Ultimate Polish + Rupes Ultra fine finishing pad (White), will this be the right combination to go with? or should I be looking to go with a yellow finishing pad that has a slightly more cut?

And as next step I plan to use DA and a separate waxing pad to apply the the seal and shine + paste wax, are there any advantages of using DA here? or a hand application is preferred?

Use a rotary over the DA and you’ll get better, faster results with less arm fatigue as it’s much smoother. You can get cheap ones on Amazon that work very well.

Assuming you’ve got more than very fine marring, go with the yellow pad unless you’re dealing with very soft paint like Honda/Kia or are willing to do a 2 step correction. On harder paints even the yellow may not be enough and you might have to step up to the blue coarse pad.

No advantage to machine applying sealants except that it reduces arm fatigue while applying, you still have to manually buff though.

Do not apply any carnuaba wax over the turtle sealant, it can strip it as waxes are a mild abrasive.

First time doing it and I got a little worried with all the online articles warning on starting with rotary, they are definitely very budget friendly and a wide variety of choices too.

Got it, would a high strength Sonax BSD be better? Already have it with me and can apply one coat next day after the sealant has setin?

People write all sorts of incorrect information in online articles, pay no heed. I taught myself how to use one years ago and I never even got close to burning paint with it.

Just know the basics, like with any polisher, do not apply excessive pressure and do not stay over one spot, keep moving at about 2-3 inches/sec and you’ll be fine. Keep the machine speed under 3 (speed 3 is around 50% RPM on most). Pay attention to heat, If you can’t touch the paint after polishing without burning your hand, you’ve generated too much heat for eg.

Since you’re using soft to medium pads and a fine cut abrasive you have a lot margin for error vs say using a heavy cut compound and an aggressive wool pad. Do test in a small area to check what pad and abrasive combination is giving the desired results, standard practice when starting to machine polish, even the pros do it.

Also, regarding the polish, use Rupes UnoPure or Menzerna 3000 vs megs ultimate polish as the latter is full of oils and fillers that mask your paints true finish. It’ll look great when you’re done but after a wash you’ll see all the swirls reappear as the fillers wash away.

You can 25% IPA wipe after every pass to check the paint but this adds unnecessary time and effort to the job. Always IPA wipe every polished surface after you’re done before applying any protection.

Turtle sealant is all you need, mixing different chemistries rarely gives better results (unless deigned to be layered) and in most cases makes it worse as you’re messing with the original formulation’s curing by adding foreign chemicals over it. Seal and shine will last many months on its own with safe washing.

Don’t forget to clay and decontaminate the paint before starting and mask liberally around sensitive areas and plastic trim. Also remember to polish piano black trim and your lights as they are as swirled as the paint and can be corrected just as easily. Good luck!

Brian from Apex Detail-https://youtu.be/pbEE8JhvL14

I need to buy "Champagne Gold Metallic" touch-up paint for my golden colored Hyundai i10's plastic/fiberglass bumper. Where can I buy this?

If some forumer here is selling a half used can/set, I don't mind buying from that forumer too, I need only small qty.

Hi,
Reading few opinions across but wanted to ask here: does PPF coating protect against bird poop?
Or is there any other way to better protect a Brezza from bird poop without long term paint damage or rusting?

Hey buddy, any comments @nirmaljusdoit

@AJ56 - sorry for the long delay - here is a video of water poured on the windshield.


Thanks